The Art of Revenge

Revenge. It's usually not a pleasant thing but it sure is interesting. Throughout the years Vengeance has served as a prominent and compelling theme in films and literature. Here's a few: Point Blank: This 1967 film is an adaptation of the classic Richard Stark novel "The Hunter" (the Mel Gibson film Payback was also an adaptation of the Hunter) which introduced the world to his hard edged thief Parker. In Point Blank, Lee Marvin plays ,Walker, a ruthless thief on a relentless quest for revenge against his ex-partner who ripped him off, shot him in the back and left him for dead. Parker's search for revenge puts him up against his partner's new employers a large crime syndicate called The Organization. Point Blank features great acting, a gritty, compelling and morally murky story, which makes the most of it's San Francisco and LA locations, and best of all the film is open to interpretation. Director John Boorman gives many subtle cues that might suggest Walker may actually be dead. Get Carter: This 1971 British crime film was voted the best British Film in any genre in a 2004 issue of Total Film magazine. Get Carter stars the always charismatic Michael Caine as a London mobster who returns to his home town of Newcastle to investigate the mysterious death of his estranged brother. As Jack Carter, Caine is funny, charismatic and brutal. You root for and are repulsed by him. The story is gritty, compelling and uncompromising. One of the most powerful scene's in the film is where Carter uncovers a sinister secret about one of his family members and it will leave you speechless. The end of Get Carter is just as powerful, brutal and compelling as the rest of the film and it will leave you gasping for breath In the world of comic books, know one signifies revenge more so than Frank Castle AKA The Punisher. Some people might know of the character from the 2004 movie where Thomas Jane portrayed the heavily armed vigilante, which was entertaining in an over the top sort of way but it doesn't compare to the hard hitting brutality of Garth Ennis's Punisher Max series of graphic novels. Marvel Comics launched the Punisher Max series so they could tell stories of Frank Castle literally battling the scum of the Earth. Ennis's Punisher Max tales are incredibly dark toned tales of crime, depravity, and punishment. They can be horrific or humorous in a twisted way, sometimes both at the same time. In other words they make for a great time